Help IWK children live happily ever after.

Stephanie Reid is the Program Lead, Marketing Strategy at the IWK Foundation and a member of the runDisney community.

Have you ever considered running a race but never had the right motivation? Are you an avid runner looking for a new challenge? Have you been looking for an exciting and unique way to support the IWK Foundation? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this is the blog post for you.

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® is the presenting sponsor and celebratory charity of the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Funds raised for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in conjunction with this magical event will help kids grow up happily ever after. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds and awareness for 170 children’s hospitals in the U.S. and Canada, including the IWK Health Centre located right here in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Pirates of the Caribbean on the race route of Disney’s Princess Half Marathon 2014.

It’s rare when two of your passions collide so perfectly. I’ve been participating in runDisney races since 2010 when I completed my first marathon during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. And I have to say, it wasn’t hard to get hooked as there is nothing quite like running a runDisney race. The costumes, entertainment and the overall experience of running through Disney theme parks and resort areas make runDisney races a bucket list item for any aspiring or seasoned runner.

So naturally, when I learned I could participate in a runDisney race in support the IWK I came running (pun intended). Children’s Miracle Network participants can support their local children’s hospitals by signing up for the Princess Half Marathon or the Glass Slipper Challenge (a 19.3 mile adventure over 2 days). Glass Slipper challenge participants will run the Disney Princess Enchanted 10K on Saturday, followed by the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. Currently all races are sold out to the public but you can still participate by signing-up through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® or another participating charity or travel provider.

So are you in? Here’s the run-down (again, pun intended – I just can’t help myself!):

• Sign-up for either the Princess Half Marathon or the Glass Slipper Challenge at princesshalfmarathon.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org
• Fundraise the required minimum amount for your race to support children and families at the IWK Health Centre
• Make your family’s travel arrangements
• Pack your bags for the happiest place on earth
• Just keep running…

The upcoming Glass Slipper Challenge will mark my 5th and 6th runDisney races, and they certainly won’t be my last. But for right now, my focus is on fundraising and supporting this wonderful cause that is very important to me. As an extra incentive to my supporters, if I reach my minimum fundraising goal by August 18, 2014 I have promised to come to work dressed up like Mickey Mouse and stay in character for an entire business day. That’s right, I will do absolutely anything for this cause and the children and families at the IWK Health Centre.

Have a magical race and thank you for your support!

Be Wary of the Poisons You May Carry!

Child Safety Link is a Maritime wide child and youth injury prevention program located at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS. Partially funded by the generosity of donors, the Child Safety Link aims to reduce the incidence and severity of injury to children and youth. Julie Harrington, Coordinator with the Child Safety Link, provides some helpful tips to keep your young ones safe.

As it is for many, my handbag is a catch-all necessity that I take everywhere I go. It’s full to the brim with stuff that helps make my day go more smoothly—keys, phone, wallet, lipstick, extra toothbrush, hand sanitizer, travel bottle of ibuprofen, phone charger, pack of gum—and the list goes on and on.

For small children however, “Mom’s Purse” –or anyone’s for that matter—can seem like an amusement park full of wonders! What many don’t realize is that most handbags contain at least one item that can seriously harm a small child.

Writing this blog made me curious as to what was in my own bag, so I dumped the contents out on my desk. To my surprise, it contained 7 items that could be considered poisonous! These items are everyday, ordinary things I would never have thought twice about. But, by definition, a poison can be any drug or non-drug substance that can cause illness or injury after ingesting it or coming into contact with it.

In Atlantic Canada, poisoning accounts for 7% of all childhood injuries that require hospitalization. Not surprisingly, children aged five years and younger account for 79% of these hospitalizations due to their hand-to-mouth habits. One common place young children are accessing poisons is from purses that have been left within reach.

According to the IWK Regional Poison Centre, there are five items commonly found in purses that we purse-carriers need to be especially careful with:

• Toothpaste: Toothpaste can be appealing to kids, especially those with candy-like flavours and packaging. Many types of toothpaste contain sodium fluoride, which is meant for topical purposes to prevent tooth decay. However, if it is swallowed, this mixes with stomach juices to create a poison that can result in nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or in more extreme cases, low blood pressure and irregular heartbeat.

• Medication: Kids can be attracted to pills because they can look or taste like candy, with bright colours and sugary coatings. However, young children are especially vulnerable to medication because of their smaller size and weight, and can be seriously injured by even common medicines (i.e. acetaminophen) or supplements (i.e. iron pills).

• Nicotine: Cigarettes, nicotine gum and some electronic cigarette refill bottles can be a poisoning risk for children. Even mild nicotine poisoning in a child can result in nausea and vomiting, weakness, tremors or seizures. Nicotine gum is especially scary as it is packaged just like regular bubblegum, which many kids love.

• Alcohol:  That peach-scented hand sanitizer?—not so “peachy” after all. Perfumes, hand sanitizers, mouthwashes—these cosmetic items all contain concentrated alcohol, and can be attractive to small children because of their colour or scent. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning can range from drowsiness and vomiting, to difficulty breathing.

• Coins: Swallowing a coin could be harmless, if it passes through the digestive system, but can become VERY dangerous if it becomes lodged at any point in the digestive tract.

What can we do to help prevent unintentional poisonings? Because we are always going to carry these necessities in our purses, it is of the utmost importance that handbags be kept away from small children whether you are at home or visiting another home. Be aware of what Grandma does with her handbag when she comes to visit your home, too.

As for the contents of the purse, it’s a good idea to always keep medication in its original, child-resistant container, NOT in a plastic baggie or pill container. Keep in mind that “child-resistant” packaging does not mean “child proof”—even children as young as one have managed to open these containers!

March 16-22 is Poison Prevention Week across Canada, and the public can visit the Child Safety Link website at www.childsafetylink.ca for these and more tips on keeping children safe from unintentional poisonings. Please share this message and help keep our children safe!

Make a gift to the IWK Foundation.

Change Makers – Jacob

This article is a series of three, written by Tom Mason for the Fall 2013/Winter 2014 issue of Izaak Magazine – an in-depth, behind the scenes, all-access publication highlighting the incredible, everyday happenings at the IWK Health Centre. A stay at the hospital can be tough, but for some exceptional young people, it’s also a time to grow , gain strength and learn about who they are. 

Jacob Hamilton

For Jacob Hamilton, paying it forward means finding strength in his own life. At 19, Jacob has been through more than most people his age. He’s already struggled with mental illness, and the stigma that surrounds it, for several years.

Jacob spent four months in the IWK inpatient mental health unit starting at age 17. He endured weeks of difficult medication changes, missed out on family and school events, even spending his birthday and the days leading up to Christmas in the hospital. Through it all, the IWK staff was there to help him, at times becoming almost part of his extended family. “They even took part in Christmas activities with me,” he says.

Today Jacob uses his own experiences to help other young people suffering with mental illness. He volunteers with the IWK Foundation and has worked to raise money for a new inpatient mental health unit for the hospital that will offer much improved care space for those with acute mental illness requiring hospitalization at the IWK. He speaks out to help improve adolescent mental health care in Nova Scotia, and he advocates for young people, to help them overcome the stigma that so often goes with mental illness.

“Mental illness is a disease like any other,” he says. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, and there’s always hope. There are a lot of youth out there dealing with these issues. They need to know how they can access mental health care.”

He’s also attending Dalhousie University, working on a science degree and planning to major in neuroscience, microbiology and immunology. Jacob recently received a $40,000 scholarship to help him pay for university and he’s doing well with his studies, but he still deals with his illness every day. “I have good days and bad days,” he says. The hours he gives back as a mental health volunteer are one of the ways he copes. “I do it as a way to give back to the IWK. I lost a lot of time in my life because of my illness. I lost a year of school. The IWK helped me get better. They helped me get back to real life.”

Jacob says that people with mental illness need someone in their corner to help them get proper treatment in their most difficult days. That’s what motivates him to work so hard. “They need to fight for the right care, and the irony is they really aren’t equipped to fight,” he says. “There are a lot of patients who can’t speak about their problems, but I don’t mind speaking out.”

This story and many exciting others are available for FREE though Izaak Magazine’s fully interactive mobile app, available for download on the iTunes Newstand and Google play. You can also read Izaak magazine online through your desktop computer.

Change Makers – Sonja

This article is a series of three, written by Tom Mason for the Fall 2013/Winter 2014 issue of Izaak Magazine – an in-depth, behind the scenes, all-access publication highlighting the incredible, everyday happenings at the IWK Health Centre. A stay at the hospital can be tough, but for some exceptional young people, it’s also a time to grow , gain strength and learn about who they are. 

Sonja Weilgart-Whitehead

At the age of 18, Sonja Weilgart-Whitehead is already an old hand at talking to the media. The Herring Cove teenager was just 15 when she spearheaded a media campaign that focused attention on evacuation policies at Halifax Schools – a campaign that changed those policies for students with mobility issues.

Sonja has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, a condition that comes with significant mobility challenges. “My high school had an evacuation policy that said they couldn’t carry disabled persons out of the building because it would risk injuring the person responsible for carrying the,” she says. “Instead, we were supposed to go to a designated safe area and wait for the fire department.” But the designated safe room in Sonja’s high school was located right above a propane tank, with furniture blocking the only window that rescue personnel could use to access it. “I know that if my school ever wet up in flames, I was going to be toast.”

I was a situation that Sonja had no intention of ignoring. She and her mother contacted the media and began a series of interviews to shed light on the topic. The campaign immediately caught the attention of Nova Scotia cabinet ministers Ramona Jennex and Marilyn Moore who offered her an apology and set out to change the school policy. “They changed it for everyone in the province,” she says. “It means a lot, even though I was almost ready to graduate. With the old policy, it was like they were saying my life wasn’t as valued as the other students.”

Sonja is used to overcoming challenges. Her first extended stay at the IWK began the day she was born, when she was 18 months old. She’s made many trips to the hospital since then. “Over the last six years I’ve been getting a lot better because of a phenomenal surgery that the IWK gave me. Now I can walk without tangling by feet, without being crumpled over. I can swim a lot better too. It’s forever changed by life.”

Today, Sonja is studying for her Bachelor of Arts (honours) degree at Carleton University in Ottawa, and received the Robbie and Jean Shaw Scholarship. She plans to go on to become a lawyer advocating for people with disabilities. She chose the university because of its unique program for physically challenged students – a program that includes 24/7 attendant services and full wheelchair accessibility. She is also nationally-classified para-swimmer on the Carleton varsity swim team and involved in horseback riding, sailing, skiing and rock climbing.

This story and many exciting others are available for FREE though Izaak Magazine’s fully interactive mobile app, available for download on the iTunes Newstand and Google play. You can also read Izaak magazine online through your desktop computer.

Embracing your authentic self

On December 5th, IWK Foundation President & CEO, Jennifer Gillivan, took part in one of more than 200 TEDxWomen events around the world at Mount Saint Vincent University. TEDWomen is a TED event curated by TED and Pat Mitchell, focusing on women and innovation. The theme of TedWomen this year is ‘Invented Here’.

Jennifer believes when women can truly be their authentic self they can lead an extraordinary life!

Change Makers – Jacqueline

This article is a series of three, written by Tom Mason for theFall 2013/Winter 2014 issue of Izaak Magazine – an in-depth, behind the scenes, all-access publication highlighting the incredible, everyday happenings at the IWK Health Centre. A stay at the hospital can be tough, but for some exceptional young people, it’s also a time to grow , gain strength and learn about who they are. 

Jacqueline Wigle is busier than the average 20-year-old. In addition to a full slate of classes at Dalhousie University, where she majors in theatre studies, she devotes much of her spare time to helping young people cope with illness.

Jacqueline Wigle

Jacqueline volunteers with “You’re in Charge” an IWK program that helps teenagers with chronic diseases and their parents learn to manage their own health. She also volunteers with Camp Brigadoon, a camp for kids with chronic illnesses in the Annapolis Valley. She advocates for social inclusion for children with developmental delays, speaks out about Crohn’s disease, and works with young people to help them through their own health issues.

Her drive to help others is matched with her empathy. Jacqueline was first diagnosed with Crohn’s disease – a painful, and often severe, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract – when she was 12. Her treatments meant at least eight lengthy stays at the IWK where she would undergo a procedure known as total parenteral nutrition (TPN) that provides all her food through intravenous fluids, a procedure designed to give her inflamed intestinal tract a rest. The TPN treatments often lasted two weeks at a time – a strain on any busy teenager.

“The hardest part is craving food,” she says. “I’d be okay until I saw food commercials on TV and then I would really start to miss the taste of it.”

Jacqueline calls Crohn’s “an unsexy illness” and says that sufferers often get ignored because of the stigma attached to a digestive disorder. “Let’s face it. It isn’t an easy thing to talk about,” she says.

Two years ago, as a member of the IWK Youth Advisory Council, Jacqueline headed up a project called “Passionate for T.P.” to lobby for better quality toilet paper for inpatients with gastrointestinal disease. “Patients with those kinds of problems spend a lot of time going to the bathroom,” she says. “Having a good quality toilet paper can be very comforting and helpful for them” Thanks to those efforts, today IWK inpatients can access higher quality toilet paper whenever they need it.

She manages to do it the way she meets every challenge in her life: through humour. “The best thing you can do when you’re dealing with something like this is to stay positive and try not to take things too seriously. If you allow yourself to see the funny side, it’s a whole lot easier to get through it.” That’s where her love of theatre, music and dance comes in.

“What matters is to be happy. That’s why I got involved with theatre and that’s why I got involved with the IWK. I wanted to be able to see my own hospital experience in a positive way. I wanted to get something positive from my illness.”

In the spring of 2013, Jacqueline received the Robbie and Jean Shaw Scholarship, an award given to former IWK patients who have made a difference in their community. She hopes to go to law school when she graduates and would like to channel her passion for advocating on behalf of young patients into a law career.

This story and many exciting others are available though Izaak Magazine’s fully interactive mobile app, available for download on the iTunes Newstand. You can also read Izaak magazine online through your desktop computer.

Your support REALLY makes a difference.

National Philanthropy Day, on November 15^th , is an especially meaningful day to the IWK Foundation.  It allows us to recognize and celebrate our donors for their year-round philanthropy in support of the IWK. The following is written by Brenda Murchison, mom to IWK patient, Parker.

Parker at the IWK Health Centre

People often ask me how I felt when I learned my then 8-year-old son, Parker, had cancer. I was in the emergency room; it was a rainy afternoon.  An amazingly kind doctor arrived to speak with me.  He did what all doctors do, opened with small talk, asked a few questions and did a physical exam on Parker.    As he spoke, I looked at his identification tag and one word stood out: “Oncology”.

Instantly, I felt numb and panicked…as if the ceiling was going to cave in.

“No!” I thought to myself. “Parker is such a cool kid. He loves to read, curl, ski and play volleyball & lacrosse.  He’s kind and polite.  How can this happen to him?”

As reality set in, I felt an aching pain all over, as I realized what my little boy would have to endure to heal his body.  Tests. Needles. Medication. Physical weakness. Loss of his soft, curly hair. Nausea.

Somehow, my husband Bruce and I knew we needed to pull ourselves together and make the best of an awful situation.  That helped us set the tone for the next three-and-a-half years of Parker’s treatment.

Bruce, Parker, Carter and Brenda Murchison

This journey has been as much about healing our whole family as it was about healing Parker.  It has helped us focus on what’s really important in life.  Our priorities shifted because we became intimately aware of a whole new world…the world of sick kids, cancer and amazing people, including donors like you.

Recently, Parker began his 12th and final round of chemotherapy.  He spent the day in the newly renovated oncology outpatient clinic on the sixth floor, hooked up to two smart pumps and wrapped in warm blankets from the blanket warmer.  He was entertained by his good friend Buddington, our Therapeutic Clown before drifting off to sleep attached to a new anesthesia machine.  For the first time, I had a real appreciation of donor impact – that’s because the renovation of our oncology unit, the purchase of smart pumps and anesthesia machine and funding for Buddington were all donor funded.  Parker was surrounded by the generosity of complete strangers from all around the Maritimes.  In essence, my son was surrounded by the generosity of complete strangers who simply wanted him to be well.

Parker Murchison.

As Parker’s treatment was nearing its end, I realized my IWK journey was just beginning.  I felt compelled to give back. Like many other families who experience the IWK, I wished I had a million dollars to give. Instead, I was fortunate to begin working for the IWK Foundation, with donors like you, who are helping families like mine.  I began witnessing the outpouring of generosity of donors from around the Maritimes – all to help women and children who need the IWK.  I realized the IWK environment I had come to know over the past three years would not be what it is today without donors like you.

Parker completed his treatment on September 15^th and is living a great life.  It is an honour for me to write this message on National Philanthropy Day.  Your support REALLY makes a difference.  Donors like you have made the IWK Health Centre exceptional.  Thank you for caring and for giving.

I hope you enjoy this video of Parker thanking donors like you.  Needless to say I am extremely proud!

~ Brenda

Leaving a Gift for Tomorrow

Mary Theresa Ross is the Manager of  Personal & Planned Gifts with the IWK Health Centre Foundation. If you have any questions, or would like further information on how to make a planned gift to the IWK Foundation, please call Mary Theresa at 902-470-8240.

Mary Theresa Ross, Manager of Personal & Planned Gifts

Each of us possesses the power to provide a lasting legacy to charitable causes we feel are important. A gift in your will not only provides tremendous personal satisfaction , but allows the IWK to plan for future projects with greater certainty and use donations to greater effect.

For me, working at the IWK Foundation is so much more than a career, it is my absolute passion. I believe in the need because I’ve seen it first hand. My daughter, Jody, spent more than four and half years as an inpatient being treated at the Health Centre.

I used to reflect on what it would be like for Maritime Families if the IWK was not here. A gift in a Will helps the Foundation with the security of knowing the funds are in place to allow us to continue to grow and provide care for future generations. It helps ensure the future will be stronger. Your planning is a part of how we help families.

Here is the top 10 things you can do today to leave a gift in your will to your favourite charitable cause.

Sincerely, Mary Theresa Ross, IWK Health Centre Foundation

Top 10 Things You Can Do Today to Leave a Legacy

1.) Prepare a will.

2.) Leave a gift in your will for the not-for-profit organization that makes a difference in your life.

3.) Leave a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your assets to a not-for-profit organization.

4.) Consider using assets for your legacy gift.

5.) Name a not-for-profit as a beneficiary of your RRSP, RRIF or pension plan.

6.) Name your favourite not-for-profit as the beneficiary of an existing life insurance policy.

7.) Purchase a new life insurance policy naming your favourite not-for-profit as the beneficiary.

8.) Remember loved ones with memorial gifts.

9.) Encourage family and friends to leave gifts to not-for-profit in their wills.

10.) Ask your financial or estate planning advisor to include charitable giving as part of your financial plan and to incorporate in their counsel to other clients.

Make a gift to the IWK Health Centre Foundation. 

It’s Not Goodbye – A Summer Well Spent!

This summer, the IWK Health Centre Foundation was lucky enough to have Kristin Wilton come on board as an intern for a few months. We are so lucky she came to work with us. We cannot thank Kristin enough for all of her hard work, dedication and incredible positive attitude.  Below is Kristin’s final blog on her time with the IWK Foundation – we’re glad to know she found it to be such a rewarding experience. Thank you for everything, Kristin!

After working with the team at the IWK Foundation over the past 16 weeks, I can honestly say this organization changed me as a whole. It changed my outlook on life and has certainly reassured me of my career choice to become a Public Relations practitioner. Being involved with the public, caregivers, patients, families and events really made me feel like I was doing PR. I’ve learned that a lot of things in the world of PR can be mastered by practice. The three words “practice makes perfect” helped me in so many ways, especially with my writing. The more you write, the more you learn, the better you will get.

My experience here at the Foundation has been incredible. One experience that had a major impact on me happened on my third day of work. My supervisor informed me that I would be attending a big announcement at the Health Centre. I didn’t think much of it until I arrived at the Health Centre and met these two twin little girls – Kendra and Kinsey, who were very premature or “micro-premie” babies born at 27 weeks. A normal pregnancy is 40 weeks so being this early resulted in them spending most of their stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) on life support.As I followed a group of people down to a boardroom, hand in hand with Kendra, I sat in and watched the video of their life at the IWK. They were born at 1.8 lbs, each of them had five blood transfusions, one twin had 12 surgeries and the other had 13 and one of the girls had to have an emergency eye surgery. They spent nearly five months at the IWK experiencing liver failure and kidney failure.

As I was watching this video, I’m sitting there saying to myself “Kristin, keep it together. It’s your third day on the job. Do. Not. Cry.” But I couldn’t help it – I was completely filled up. My supervisor reassured me that each and every one of us that work in this organization has a moment like this.

After the video was over, we walked to the Gallery for the announcement – the IWK was receiving a donation of $1 million from Kent and Irving Shipbuilding. This donation will support a state-of-the-art Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as well as ground-breaking research in the treatment of childhood blood disorders and leukemia.

Following the announcement, five-year-old Kendra and Kinsey stood up on the podium and thanked Kent and Irving Shipbuilding for their donation as it will go towards helping children like them.

Today, Kendra and Kinsey are two thriving five-year-olds, and despite continuing health issues and regular visits to the IWK, they will grow up to live normal lives. I don’t think this would be possible without the remarkable caregivers at the IWK who helped this family get through this tough time.

It was the most touching thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life. It was events like this over the past 16 weeks that made me confident that the career path I’ve chosen is a perfect fit for me. Thanks to the IWK Foundation, working with this not-for-profit organization has opened my eyes and helped me discover my passion. It proved my passion for working with people, my love for children and my drive to help raise money for children and the world-class specialized care facility we all call the IWK Health Centre. 

 

I wanted to do more.

Andrew Paris, Administrative Assistant at the IWK Health Centre Foundation

The IWK Health Centre has always been very special me and now I’m  truly blessed to now be working for the IWK Health Centre Foundation. My connection to the Health Centre and IWK Foundation started when I was no taller than the desk I’m at right now.

I’m originally from Summerside, Prince Edward Island and began watching the IWK Telethon when I was three years old with my mother. We always made sure to make a donation every year. As I grew up and began going to school, there was always a kid in the school who, for one reason or another, used the Health Centre. I even grew up with a few people who wouldn’t be around today if it wasn’t for that great facility. For this reason and my love for watching the Telethon, I began fundraising for the IWK when I was eight. I, my friends and family would have bake sales, yard sales, bottle drives and all kinds of different things to raise money for the IWK. We all had a great time with every fundraiser that we put on, but I wanted to do more.

When I was eleven, I said that I one day want to answer telephones for the Telethon. Well, in 2004, my dream came true. I got to answer telephones during the first shift on Saturday night. I was in awe! The atmosphere was amazing! I got to meet Steve Murphy and Bill Carr, just to name a few. There was nothing that could wipe that smile off my face! I’ve volunteered at almost every Telethon since. But, after the Telethon 28 in 2012, I wanted to do more.

Soon after that night I sent out a Tweet mentioning how much I enjoyed myself at Telethon and let the Foundation know that if they needed help, I’m available. A few hours later, a Foundation staff member replied asking for my contact information. I knew this was my in! I was so excited that I absolutely inundated her with Tweets and emails about how excited I was to possibly help with Telethon 29. I swear she gave me the Telethon’s chair information just to keep me quiet. Next thing I knew, I was on the Telethon operations committee for Halifax. I was in charge of the hundreds of Telethon phone operators and captains. I was very nervous at first, but Telethon 29 was an enormous success. Everything went great with the phone operators and captains. As the Telethon was wrapping up I realized, I wanted to do more.

A couple of days after Telethon 29, there was a job opening at the Foundation and I said to myself: “The only thing better than working with the operations committee for three months of the year, would be working with the Foundation for 365 days of the year.”

I applied for the job and a nerve-wracking 4 weeks later, I got it! My wife and two kids have had to go to the hospital on multiple occasions. I love the IWK and the Foundation so much! Working here every day is great! I go home every evening with a smile on my face knowing that I did my own little part towards making the IWK Health Centre the best it can be. I’m currently an Administrative Assistant with the Foundation, but who knows, maybe down the road, I’ll get to do more.

Get involved with the IWK Health Centre Foundation.